Microsoft Research Blog

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The development of machine intelligence that amplifies human capabilities and experiences is at the heart of our AI research at Microsoft, which is why I’m delighted by the tremendous lineup of keynotes and panels focused on human-machine collaboration at the 2017 Microsoft Research Faculty Summit – The Edge of AI, July 17-18.

The shift toward building machines that are smart enough to collaborate with people as capable partners and assistants is a recent development in the history of AI, one that’s being pushed by the proliferation of computing devices in every imaginable facet of life. With computers everywhere, it’s important that they’re clever enough to work with us in groups as well as individually, Barbara J. Grosz from Harvard University will explain in her talk on July 17 at 9:10am.

Other human-machine collaboration talks and sessions will highlight how researchers are pushing the boundaries of AI to augment the capabilities of people with sensory disabilities, enabling new and empowering experiences. The AI for Earth initiative illustrates how the embrace of AI can enhance human efforts to mitigate and adapt to environmental and social challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and food and water scarcity.

To help set the framework for the future of human-computer collaboration, a very thoughtful panel of distinguished AI experts will discuss the development and deployment of future AI systems that partner with people on complex and open-ended tasks. Microsoft’s Ece Kamar will chair the panel, which includes Microsoft’s Eric Horvitz along with Subbarao Kambhampati of Arizona State University and Milind Tambe of the University of Southern California. The panel starts at 2:00pm on July 18.

For those of you unable to attend the 2017 Microsoft Research Faculty Summit in person, I encourage you to watch the livestream of keynotes, speakers and Research in Focus interview segments. I’m particularly excited about a July 18 livestreamed talk by Amy Greenwald of Brown University on efforts to build AI agents that make effective decisions in multiagent – part human, part artificial – environments. Her research is currently being applied to renewable energy markets and wireless spectrum auctions.

We live in the age of the intelligent edge and intelligent cloud. Data is collected at the edge using billions of small devices. The data is pre-processed at the edge and shipped in a filtered and aggregated form to the cloud. In the cloud, the data is analyzed and used to train models which are […]

By Eric Horvitz, Technical Fellow and Managing Director, Microsoft We’re at an inflection point for AI technologies. Rising capabilities and possibilities have been catalyzed by jumps in the availability of data and computational power. Increasing competencies in such areas as face recognition, speech recognition, translation among languages, and semi-autonomous vehicles have been met with enthusiasm […]

By Evelyne Viegas, Program Co-Chair of Faculty Summit and Director, Microsoft We are looking forward to another informative Microsoft Research Faculty Summit (July 17-18, 2017) where this year’s theme is The Edge of AI. The event will consist of keynotes, sessions, panels, and showcased technologies. The summit brings together thought leaders and researchers from a broad range […]

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The 18th Annual Microsoft Research Faculty Summit: "The Edge of AI" will gather to reflect on AI today and tomorrow and will discuss the research, the tools, the services, and the community engagement that the research community needs to invest in to help accelerate innovation and democratize AI, in order to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.